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sendmail.net: Nader Slams MS

"Nader first ran through the familiar litany of complaints
related to pricing and licensing: Windows is too expensive, and
Microsoft is tightening the conditions on licenses. "For most
models of PCs that consumers buy, the OEM has to purchase the
license even if the end user doesn't want the software. The
'required to buy' Windows problem is a particularly galling issue
for Linux users, who are often actively trying to avoid using
Microsoft products." When Nader's own investigators asked IBM for a
machine with a preinstalled non-Windows OS, Nader said, IBM
responded: "We'll preinstall anything, but first we have to buy a
Microsoft license...."

"Nader expressed high praise for the free software movement
and high hopes for its prospects. "It's the Great Imitator against
the most creative minds," he said. "Who are you going to bet
on?" He condemned Redmond's response to the challenge
presented by open source software. "Microsoft's response to the
popularity of Linux is to seek ways to cripple interoperability by
deploying proprietary and patented software interfaces. And so far,
Microsoft has resisted efforts by OEMs to ship computers ready to
dual boot Windows and Linux or Windows and BeOS."